Lots of views through rose-colored glasses - Anonymous employee idfive Employee Review

2.0
16 Sept 2019
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

+ability to work remotely +ability to flex time during the day +fully-sponsored health and dental benefits +free parking +handful of people that are just really good people +most everyone is really hardworking

Cons

+high deductible health plan that is impossible to fulfill +no retirement contributions (they say that people put their bonuses there but bonuses have never been more than $1000 and bonuses should be able to be just that, a bonus.) +egos really are here, especially amongst the mid-level and some (not all) leadership. it's kind of unbelievable that their motto is that there isn't +no POC in leadership, save the CEO who has been quoted in articles with poor opinions on diversity. He thinks the solution to diversity is to "hire the best people." But that's a naive opinion. + diversity seems to benefit white women the most here +need for non-strategic transparency + most of the creative team has been there for a year or less because of the company losing close to their whole team +many people don't take real lunch breaks because they feel like they can't +all or nothing work attitude that is unhealthy and unfair +office atmosphere is often very quiet and leaves no room for the occasional convo or non-work-related banter +HR person is rarely in the office and often defers questions to other people +the CEO tends to guilt people a lot. There's a lot of public shaming and when someone leaves he takes it very personally. He often hints at those people (after they've left) not having the chops to work at the company, when we all need to look at how we are as a workplace. He seems to think that advertising is the only way to do good in the world. And that to go elsewhere means you don't want to make a difference. +CEO panders and makes inappropriate jokes. + the CEO admitted that there as never been a diversity/bias or sexual harassment training at the company since it's existence. it seems they plan to change that though, so that's good. +overall the benefits and perks really aren't impressive compared to other agencies. you hear about snacks always being in the office, gym memberships, amble PTO, WFH Friday and other fun perks at competitors, but those don't exist at idfive. They did just get dogs in their lease, so that's nice. +some people seem to be able to get away with doing subpar work or consistently missing deadlines/being a pain

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idfive Response
6y
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and suggestions. As you know, this year our team created the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee, a group whose meetings I attend and work I enthusiastically champion. We've also instituted diversity and inclusion training for the leadership team, and we're working with the committee to extend that work across the company.As we shared a few weeks ago, in response to team requests, we will offer an alternative health plan with lower deductibles during the upcoming enrollment period.I agree that we must always focus on continuous improvement, and I encourage you to provide feedback on these new initiatives.Thanks again for taking the time to share your perspective.Andres ZapataCo-founder, idfive

Explore other reviews about idfive

5.0
22 Apr 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Transparency: They are incredibly transparent about finances — so there are no surprises when things are not going well and they share the wealth when the company is doing well. Human: The owners are good people who care about the well-being of the team. They are in the trenches alongside you and host employee get-togethers at their home. There is a real small-business family feel to this agency. Respect Your Time: Company is structured around employees time. Work-life balance is baked into the timelines and the goal is for everyone to be done work at 5. Pay: For Baltimore, the pay is definitely above average

Cons

Depends on what you're looking for, so these may not be cons, but two things to note: -Smaller budgets for clients (mostly regional) -Micro-management of daily tasks / time

1.0
11 Oct 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Can’t think of any. Their whole doing-good thing is a sham given how they treat staff.

Cons

Nepotism at its finest when unqualified people promoted at expense of talented people. Some of the true stories about these people behind the scenes would turn your hair. All the rah rah pep rally self congratulations is pretty icky when they lay people off with no real severance and in spectacularly thoughtless ways. Also, prepare to be underpaid. No advancement opportunities.

4
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idfive Response
1y
Thank you for the feedback. We are not perfect, that's for sure. It's disheartening to learn that you feel this way as we work relentlessly to improve the operation and culture at every turn. "Fivers" stay with us for an average of 8 years because, as you know from your 4 years with the company, we run a compassionate operation that believes people can rise to better serve clients, be better team members, and meet our strategic and professional goals. It is true that when someone underperforms, we invest in lengthy course-correction strategies rather than beefy severances. Finally, we lean heavily on our independent Human Resources Consultants to make compassionate, fair, and appropriate business decisions, including how much people earn based on their performance and fair market rates. Thanks again for the feedback and best of luck in your next adventure!
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